Too fast and too slow combinations

Ji-Soo Woo Asked 14 years ago

Hi Alois

I was interested about your views re: unsuitable combinations.

1) playing with which combination is likely to be most detrimental to your table tennis development? A combination that is too fast for you or too slow?

2) what kind of impact might playing with a too-fast combination have on your technique?

3) what kind of impact might playing with a too-slow combination have on your technique?

Thanks!

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Ji-Soo,

I think for development it is better to err on the side of being too slow rather than too fast. 

This will allow you to develop your strokes fully with better confidence in swinging all the way through your stroke.  When the bat is too fast, you tend to tighten up and only do half a stroke.  This leads to developing bad habits and tension which is a big no no when learning technique.

The down side with using a bat that is too slow is that you may start straining to hit the ball fast enough, when the bat could be helping you out a bit more.  So you are not getting enough reward for your stroke.  It also doesn't allow you to develop the speed of the stroke and learn to track the ball when it is moving faster.